anthological criticism

Anthological criticism is an approach to studying literature that focuses on collections of works, or anthologies, rather than individual texts. It examines how these collections are organized, what they choose to include or exclude, and how their structure influences our understanding of literature or themes. This method highlights the role of editors and the cultural or historical context behind compiling a diverse set of writings. Essentially, it considers the anthology as a lens through which we interpret literary history, ideas, and the relationships between different works within a curated collection.